Universal joint



Dec. 30, 1969 I. R. RITSEMA R 3,486,349

I UNIVERSAL JOINT Original Filed marchyzv, I967 INVENTOR. IRVING I2. EITSEMA ATTORNEY I 2: Sheets-Sheet 1 r V Dec. 30,1969 1. R. RITSEMA 3, 6,

UNIVERSAL JOINT. Y

Original Filed March 27, 196'? 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 IN VENTOR.

IRVING I2. R/TSEMA zwza; M 7% W ATTORNEY United States Patent 3,486,349 UNIVERSAL JOINT Irving R. Ritsema, South Bend, Ind., assignor to The Bendix Corporatiou, a corporation of Delaware Original application Mar. 27, 1967, Ser. No. 626,148, now Patent No. 3,434,195, dated Mar. 25, 1969. Divided and this application Nov. 13, 1968, Ser. No. 775,407

Int. Cl. F16d 3/24 US. Cl. 64-17 1 Claim ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE The following relates to a universal joint of the type sometimes referred to as a Hookes Coupling and to a novel method of making same. The universal joint consists of two angularly disposed rotatable tubular members, each of which has a forked portion formed on the end thereof, and a block having two pairs of diametrically opposed protruding spherical surfaces formed thereon which are received in concave seats formed in the forked portion by deforming the forked portions around the protruding spherical surfaces of the block.

This is a division of application Ser. No. 626,148, filed Mar. 27, 1967, now Patent No. 3,434,195.

Background of the invention No-lash universal joints of the type described herein are disclosed in Runkle Patent No. 3,217,516 and in Runkle Patent No. 3,296,830. In both of these patents adjustable washer type coupling means are utilized to connect the angularly disposed rotatable forked members and to eliminate the lash therebetween. This particular construction has been found very suitable for steering columns and is presently incorporated in various passenger cars having a tiltable steering column. The universal joint construction described hereinafter which was conceived for applications requiring low torque, low speeds, and moderate angles, requires fewer parts and is somewhat less expensive to fabricate. Furthermore, it is designed so that a preselected initial load can be applied to the joint to eliminate any lash which may still exist after fabrication by a forming process.

Summary of the invention Accordingly, it is an object of this invention to provide a novel relatively inexpensive universal joint, and method of fabrication, which is relatively small in size, free from backlash, and which avoids various problems encountered in the assembly of prior art constructions.

Another object of this invention is to provide a lashfree universal joint having a minimum number of parts.

More specifically, it is an object of this invention to provide a universal joint comprising two angularly dis posed rotatable tubular members each having a pair of spaced diametrically opposed arms extending therefrom, a block having two pairs of diametrically opposed protruding spherical surfaces formed thereon, concave seats formed in each of the arms for receiving the protruding spherical surfaces by deforming the arms around the protruding spherical surfaces, and means for urging the arms of each of the members towards each other to provide intimate lash-free contact between the seats and the protruding spherical surfaces.

The above and other objects, features and advantages of the invention will become apparent from the follow ing description taken in connection with the accompanying drawings which from a part of this invention and in which:

Brief description of the drawings FIGURES 1 and 2 show front and end views, respectively, of the coupling block utilized in the universal oint;

FIGURES 3, 4, and 5, show front, end, and top views of one of the forked tubular members utilized in the universal joint after cutting away oppositely disposed allochiral portions of the tubular member;

FIGURES 6 and 7 show similar views of one of the forked tubular members after the base of the fork has been drilled to provide adaquate space for the coupling block;

FIGURE 8 is a longitudinal sectional view through one of the forked members and the coupling block prior to fabrication;

FIGURE 9 is a sectional view through line 99 of FIGURE 8;

FIGURE 10 is a longitudinal sectional view through one of the forked members and the coupling block after fabrication;

FIGURES 11, 12, and 13 are sectional views taken along lines 1111, 1212, and 1313, respectively, of FIGURE 10;

FIGURES 14 and 15 show various methods of creating cavities for reserve lubrication in the coupling block;

FIGURE 16 shows a plan view of one-half of an assembled universal joint; and,

FIGURE 17 shows a plan view of a completely assembled universal joint.

Description of the preferred embodiment Referring to FIGURES 16 and 17, it will be noted that numeral 10 indicates a forked tubular member having a pair of spaced arms -12 located at one end thereof, and that numeral 14 indicates a second similar forked tubular member having a pair of spaced arms 16 also located at one end thereof. 'Diametrically opposed concave seats 18 are located in the arms 12, whereas similar opposed concave seats 20 are located in the arms 14. It will be noted that the concave seats 18 are centered in the same plane with the concave seats 20, but are located at right angles with respect thereto.

A block 22, as shown in FIGURES 1 and 2, is interposed between the spaced arms 12 and the spaced arms 16, and includes a first pair of diametrically opposed protruding spherical surfaces 24 and a second pair of diametrically opposed protruding spherical surfaces 26 which are disposed at right angle with respect to the first pair. The spherical surfaces 24 are received in the concave seats 18, whereas the spherical surfaces 26 are received in the concave seats 20.

In order to eliminate lash from the universal joint, suitable means, such as a threaded bolt or screw 28, which has the head end in abutment with one arm and the other end in threaded engagement with the oppositely disposed arm, can be utilized. Thus, by rotating the threaded member 28 it is possible to cause the oppositely disposed arms to move towards each other to thereby provide lash-free contact between the protruding spherical surfaces of the block and the concave seats of the arms. After the desired preload has been achieved the end of the screw can be peened, if desired.

It Will be noted from the foregoing that the joint includes only two forked tubular members 10 and 14, a center block 22, and a pair of bolts 28. Each of the forked tubular members are formed by first cutting away oppositely disposed allochiral portions of a tube at an angle with respect to the axis of the tube, as shown in FIG URES 3-5. Although this in itself will provide a pair of spaced arms at the end of the tube, in order to provide aqequate space for the coupling block 22 the base of the fork is drilled to provide a configuration as shown in FIG- URES 6 and 7.

After the forked tubular members 10 and 14 are formed in the foregoing manner the universal joint is fab- 3 ricated by inserting the center coupling block 22 within one of the forked members, as shown in FIGURES 8 and 9. The arms of the tubular member are then deformed around the protruding spherical surfaces of the block, as shown in FIGURES 10-13, by any suitable means, such as by coining. Such deformation of the arms causes them to assume the shape of the center block, but still permits pivotal movement of the block with respect to the arms. The arms of the other tubular member are then located over the remaining two oppositely disposed protruding spherical surfaces, and a similar deforming operation is performed. This permits the two tubular members to pivot in planes which are perpendicular to each other. A screw 28 or similar attaching device, is then placed through the oppositely disposed arms of each of the tubular members and is adjusted to provide the desired preselected load. If desired, the center block 22 could be constructed with passages or cavities 32 of the types shown in FIGURES 14 and 15 for containing and communicating lubricant to the protruding spherical surfaces formed on the block.

The advantages and many applications of a universal joint which has the foregoing described features will be obvious to those skilled in the art. Furthermore, although this invention has been described in connection with certain specific embodiments, it will be obvious to those skilled in the art that various changes may be made in the form, structure, and arrangement of parts without departing from the spirit of the invention.

Having thus described the various features of the invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. A universal joint comprising two members capable of being rotated with their axes angularly disposed with respect to one another, said rotatable members each comprising a tube, a pair of spaced arms located at the end of each of said rotatable members, said arms being formed from said tube by cutting away oppositely disposed allochiral portions of said tube at an angle with respect to the axis of said tube, diametrically opposed concave seats formed in the arms of each of said rotatable members, said seats of one of said members being centered in the same plane with the seats of the other of said members but at right angles with respect thereto, a block interposed between said spaced arms, said block having diametrically opposed protruding spherical surfaces formed thereon which are received in said concave seats, means for urging the arms of each of said members towards each other to thereby provide intimate lash free contact between said seats and said protruding spherical surfaces, said last named means including a threaded member extending through and engaging a pair of said spaced arms for causing movement of said arms towards each other upon rotation of said threaded member, said threaded member being located between the ends of said arms and the associated seats thereon, and passage means located in said block for containing and communicating lubricant to the protruding spherical surfaces formed thereon.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 915,690 3/1909 McClintock 6417 1,281,918 10/1918 Ecaubert 642.6 2,238,335 4/1941 MacGregor 64--l7 2,879,651 3/1959 Leto et al 64-17 3,310,959 3/1967 Sheppard 64--l7 HALL C. COE, Primary Examiner 

